


(stray cat) crossing paths

by eraseallpicturesofron



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: (kind of?), (magnus bane thinks alec lightwood is a SOFTIE), Fluff, M/M, Magnus Bane Loves Alec Lightwood, Pet Adoption, Protective Alec Lightwood, stray kitten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:59:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26758378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eraseallpicturesofron/pseuds/eraseallpicturesofron
Summary: “Are you going to feed this kitten from a bottle, Alexander?”“Why not?”(or: Alec takes care of a stray kitten, and Magnus is entirely endeared.)
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 8
Kudos: 120





	(stray cat) crossing paths

“Oh, if only the New York Institute could see you now,” Magnus mused aloud.

It was a phrase he used more often than not, in those private moments where the man that he was with (the man who got whipped cream on his nose from sipping hot chocolate, the man who sniffed every item in the apothecary like he was in a candle shop, the man who let out genuine giggles most times he was touched) was far from the man that the world saw him as (the man who ran the New York Institute like a well-oiled machine). 

If there was ever a situation to say it again, this was the one. 

The alley was concealed by shadows, with the sun halfway set in the October sky and the streetlight on the corner far too dim to make a difference. Usually, they’d be there on the hunt for a demon, or the occasional night where Alec was a little tipsy and dragged him into the dark to kiss him senseless, but tonight it was neither of those.

Alec sat on the ground, shoulders hunched and brow set in concentration, the same way he sat when he runed his arrows or read over expense reports. 

He ignored the comment, not out of any sense of spite (his response was usually an eye roll, the kind followed by a smile he couldn’t hide to save his life), but because, with his back to the brick wall and his elbows propped on his knees, his focus was unbreakable. 

Despite the chill of the season, especially after the sun had crossed into the western sky, he sat without his jacket—it took on the role of a makeshift blanket for the crying kitten sitting in his lap.

It was a tiny animal in and of itself, probably born days prior and abandoned only recently, but next to Alec’s large and calloused hands, it looked more fragile than any creature Magnus had come across. 

Just barely audible above the sounds of the city, the rumbling of the air conditioning unit that sat attached to the apartment complex across from them, and the chatter of patrons from the open window restaurant beside them, were the cries of the abandoned kitten. They were the same cries that had called the two of them to the alley in the first place, the cries that had yet to cease. 

Alec traced his thumb behind its ear, the delicate touch a contrast to his calloused hands, and pursed his lips. For an instant, the cries slowed, and he continued his gentle petting with a sigh.

“She’s shaking really bad.”

Filling the space between them, Magnus sat himself down against the alley’s wall, fallen leaves crunching beneath him as he shifted his position and propped his chin on Alec’s shoulder. He too reached out a single finger to stroke the shaking kitten, an unsuccessful attempt at calming her down.

“She’s probably hungry,” he guessed, “Probably needs to be bottle-fed, or with an eyedropper.”

“Makes sense,” Alec agreed. He didn’t shift his focus, and his answer came without any hesitation, prompting Magnus to ask, “Are you going to feed this kitten from a bottle, Alexander?”

“Why not?”

At that, Magnus couldn’t fight a smile or ignore the slight stutter in his heart. It was almost a privilege, he would think, to bear witness to this side of his husband. Demon-hunter by profession, by blood, with an undeniable affinity for the abandoned kitten that cried out from the shadows.

Alec adjusted the sleeve of his jacket to tighten the bundle that the kitten was wrapped in, his attempt to slow the shaking, before continuing to pet behind her ears with the tip of his thumb. 

Just under his breath, still enough for Magnus to hear him, he whispered, “You’re alright. You’re okay. We’ll bring you home, yeah?”

He turned to Magnus for confirmation on that, as though Magnus would ever say no (to either a baby kitten or this utter softie of a man, he couldn’t say), before finishing with a soft smile, “I’ll even feed you with a bottle.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank y'all for reading <3
> 
> comments/kudos/bookmarks are incredible, lmk what you thought!!


End file.
